Symbolization of Chillingworth as the Devil in Hawthornes...

Nathaniel Hawthorne crammed The Scarlet Letter with religious symbolism. One of the most interesting symbols is that of Chillingworth as the devil. All through the novel there are numerous indications and relations that verify the fact that Chillingworth is a delegate for the king of darkness. One of the various ways Chillingworth serves as the devil’s advocate is by being the antithesis of Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, the palpable Jesus figure of the narrative. Chillingworth keenly sets out to devastate Dimmesdale, as Hawthorne informs us when referring to Chillingworths unearthing of Dimmesdales secret, â€Å"All that guilty sorrow, hidden from the world, whose great heart would have pitied and forgiven, to be revealed to him, the†¦show more content†¦He describes Chillingworth as malformed and stooped. He compares Chillingworth to weeds and portrays his business as resembling witchcraft. Chillingworth’s shady and sinister characteristics all portray him as the monarch of hell. Nathaniel Hawthorne crammed The Scarlet Letter with religious symbolism. One of the most interesting symbols is that of Chillingworth as the devil. All through the novel there are numerous indications and relations that verify the fact that Chillingworth is a delegate for the king of darkness. One of the various ways Chillingworth serves as the devil’s advocate is by being the antithesis of Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, the palpable Jesus figure of the narrative. Chillingworth keenly sets out to devastate Dimmesdale, as Hawthorne informs us when referring to Chillingworths unearthing of Dimmesdales secret, â€Å"All that guilty sorrow, hidden from the world, whose great heart would have pitied and forgiven, to be revealed to him, the Pitiless, to him, the Unforgiving!† The capitalization of the words Pitiless and Unforgiving confirm that Chillingworth is Satan in human form. Symbolically, on an additional, more perceptible note, Chillingworth steals one of Dimmesdales gloves and drops it on the scaffold in the middle of the town. The sexton returns it to Dimmesdale saying, Satan dropped it there,† evidently pointing to the fact

The Vajra Of Vajrayana Buddhism - 1372 Words

The Vajra in Vajrayana Buddhism As Buddhism developed different schools or sects began to branch out taking the main component of Buddhist belief, called Dharma, but coming up with different ways to practice their own distinct view of Buddhism. Vajrayana Buddhism is of Indian tantric origin but it developed in the â€Å"Himalayan nations of Tibet, Nepal, and Bhutan† because of this many Vajrayana’s tantras, rituals, have woven into Tibetan Buddhism making it difficult to differentiate between the two (â€Å"The Vajrayana †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). In this paper I will analyze the nineteenth century Tibetan artwork called Vajra Ritual Scepter donated to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and discuss the symbolism behind the vajra as well as the importance of the vajra in Vajrayana Buddhist practices. The artwork I chose to analysis was a Vajra Ritual Scepter that is currently being held by the Philadelphia Museum of Art (â€Å"Vajra Ritual Scepter† See Appendix 1). The Wheeler’s donated this piece to the museum in 1933. The actual artwork has been dated to the nineteenth century from somewhere in Tibet. The artist is unknown but the vajra was constructed of copper alloy with mercury gilding. As a result it is a shiny cool gold color, not quite true gold but not quite a true silver or metallic color. The center is made of a bead of metal where a person can hold the vajra between the tips of their thumb and a finger. From the center the decorative elements are identical on either side, creating a symmetricalShow MoreRelatedVajrayana Buddhism744 Words   |  3 PagesVajrayana Buddhism The Vajrayana approach to Buddhism is just one of a number of Buddhist traditions, and all of the aspects of Buddhism are based on the enlightened teachings of Buddha. Vajrayana Buddhism is based on Tantra which relates to the teachings of Buddha. Vajrayana Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, based of course on the Tantra (enlighten teachings). According to the Introduction to Vajrayana ( HYPERLINK http://www.vajrayana.com.au www.vajrayana.com.au), vajra is theRead MoreVajrayana Buddhism1221 Words   |  5 PagesVajrayana Buddhism NO NAME REL/133 September 19, 2011 Deborah Wilkinson Vajrayana Buddhism Vajrayana tradition of Buddhism is called the Diamond Vehicle. This third branch of Buddhism teaches that strength, clarity, wisdom, and flashes of light; here Vajrayana allows followers to receive such enlightenment through this vehicle of the lightning bolt. Those who practice this type of Buddhism find its complexities to be quite clear as the encounter truths of Buddha along the way of lifeRead MoreBuddhism During The Heian Period1510 Words   |  7 PagesBuddhism During the Heian period (745-1185AD) Buddhism spread throughout Japan and thrived in the imperial court in Heiankyo (Kyoto). There were two sects of Buddhism that were most popular during this time, one was Tendai and the other was Shingon. Both of these sects of Buddhism came from China and were brought over to Japan by two different people. Saicho or Dengyo Daishi brought over Tendai sect (767-822) and Kukai or Kobo Daishi brought over Shingon sect (774-835) known as Esoteric BuddhismRead MoreThe Diamond Buddhist Of Buddhism2133 Words   |  9 Pagesis apparent that not too many Westerners understand how complex Buddhism truly is. Buddhism has various traditions with different perceptions of Buddha’s teachings and rituals. Buddhism is practiced by all different types of people, not just monks or people who reside in the East. The Diamond Buddhist Way Center in Chicago helps display how diverse the Buddhist community is by providing a more western and contemporary style of Buddhism. The center is located at 4722 N Malden St, Chicago, IL 60640.Read MoreBuddhism And Its Of Assam3165 Words   |  13 PagesBUDDHISM AND ITS PREVALANCE IN ASSAM INTRODUCTION Buddhism, it is a nontheistic religion which can be found in almost all over the world. It has its origin in ancient India. It is very difficult to cover this entire large topic. In this assignment I have made effort to bring forth certain basic information on the religion Buddhism . The main agenda of this assignment is to give certain knowledge about the prevalence of Buddhism and Buddhist culture in Assam from an ancient time and its presentRead MoreWorld Religion5936 Words   |  24 PagesName________________________ Class Hour_______ CHAPTER 4-BUDDHISM STUDY QUESTIONS (Pages 125-148) Group A 1. Describe the social context of India in Siddhartha Gautama’s day. Give a brief outline of the Buddha’s life according to the legends. 2. What were the two most important questions about existence on which the Buddha concentrated? 3. Explain the dimensions of change that the Buddha saw in the world. 4. Discuss the meaning and scope of suffering in Buddhism. Explain in your own words the phrase â€Å"to live

Themes and Topics of Research in Marketing †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Themes and Topics of Research in Marketing. Answer: Introduction Subway is one of the American private fast food restaurant franchise that sells submarine kinds of sandwiches along with different kinds of salads. This is one of the fast-growing franchises in the entire world and it was founded in the year August 28 1965 and the headquarter of the same is based in Milford, Connecticut, U.S. There are number of locations such as more than 44834 restaurants in more than 112 countries. Subway IP Inc is one of the owners of the intellectual property for the entire restaurant system. From the year 2007, it has been noticed that Subway has been mentioned to be in top 500 franchises list and this is one the biggest achievements for them as well. Furthermore, it is one of the single brand restaurant chain that is located in more than 100 countries. Furthermore, it has been noticed that more than half of the stores is located in United States (Subway.com 2018). The regional stores offices for the European franchises are located in Amsterdam, Australia along with New Zealand that are supported from Brisbane which is helpful in nature for providing the different customers with different kinds of pizzas and other sandwiches as well that has helped in making their brand so famous. The main aim and purpose of the report is to analyze the different kinds of marketing along with product orientations done by Subway. Proper analysis of the orientation is required to be described in an effective manner that has assisted in understanding the marketing strategies adopted by them. The proper scan of the marketing environment is done as to understand the marketing mix of the company efficiently. The communication campaign review is required to be done in order to discuss the marketing of the products at Subway. Lastly, the video campaign has to be analyzed effectively that will help in understanding the different channels along with source attributes as well. Market and Product Orientations The market orientation is defined as the philosophy that is required to be adopted by the company on meeting along with discovering the needs along with the desires of the customers through the product mix. This is essential for the company as this helps in achieving high rate of satisfaction among the different customers in the market. Market orientation helps in analyzing the different kinds of techniques in increasing the sales effectively (Andrews et al. 2017). On the other hand, the product orientation is defined as the analysis wherein the primary focus is on the products sold by them rather than on the skills and knowledge that supports the product. The company that follows the product orientation are the ones who chooses to ignore the needs of the different customers and they mainly focus efficiently on building the quality kind of products. There are different advantages and disadvantages of market orientation that are as follows: Advantages This will increase the sales and income along with market share Continuous improvement of effectiveness and efficiency Faster adoption to the change along with increased innovation Disadvantages Dealing with different kinds of corporate perceptions Challenges if responding to the changes in the market There is huge risk in underestimating the different customers in the market There are advantages and disadvantages of product orientation are as follows: Advantages This focuses on the strength and making the products they are skilled in the manufacturing of products When the company have idea of the market, they have the excellent idea of selling products at a relative price Disadvantages R D cost of the products may be steep The customers cannot be interested in what the company is selling The customers may not trust the delivery of the products sold by the respective company (Fan, Lau and Zhao 2015) Orientation Used by Subway The orientation that is used by Subway is the market orientation approach as they mainly analyze the different tastes and preferences of the customers and prepare the different food items or products based on their preferences. They mainly focus on analyzing and discovering the needs of the customers through the product mix (Baker and Saren 2016). Subway tries to analyze the demands of the customers in such a manner that this will help them in reacting the way through which the customers wants to get their products. Furthermore, the product-oriented approach is not followed by Subway as the market-oriented approach is much effective in handling the preferences of the customers in a positive manner (Armstrong et al. 2015). Subway tries to focus mainly on the changing tastes of the customers in an effective manner wherein it is seen that they focus on the market research and then they adjust the preparation of the sandwiches or the burgers accordingly. Furthermore, in different Asian countries wherein Subway is active, they have tried to add different new flavors of chicken or other related items and this has been a huge success as well. Secondly, the other example is wherein the they have started to innovate new small or family packages wherein they have tried to appeal their customers and audiences in an effective manner. There are different political factors that is considered while considering the entire performance of the different international food chains such as Subway. These are the different factors that impact Subway in a direct manner (Kumar, Sharma and Gupta 2017). The major political factors are the health and safety guidelines that is provided by the government in which the Subway is working as a unit. These are the different guidelines that is ran by the government along with other organizations working in particular kind of area. There is halal food restriction in Subway in different regions and this has affected the brand image of the company in a negative manner (Saleh 2016). There are different environmental factors that includes the different changing trends of the different environmental norms. There are different steps taken by the world against the pollution such as recycling that has impacted the business strategies of Subway (Lehmann and Winer 2017). There is different other that include the different kinds of initiatives that is taken by the food chains as to promote awareness among the different individuals to save food. Subway has tried to expand their business in the world. As to maintain proper quality and to compete with the other companies, the different practical strategies as to analyze the above factors (Kavaratzis, Warnaby and Ashworth 2014). Differences Between Psychographic Segmentations and Behavioral Segmentation The psychographic segmentation is less concrete in nature than demographic and geographic segmentation of the different customers. Furthermore, it has been noticed that these are tangible in nature and it helps in including dividing the market into different segments that is based on different personality traits along with analysis of the lifestyle of the consumers in the market. This kind of segmentation is advantageous in nature as this helps in allowing to engage in the designing of the product along with marketing in focused manner (Zenker, Braun and Petersen 2017). On the other hand, Behavioral segmentation is defined as the marketing strategy that is based on the actual buying behavior of the different consumers in the market. Furthermore, this respective segmentation helps in dividing the market into different groups of the customers as per the knowledge of the attitude of the customers towards them along with proper use of the response towards the product as well. It is based on the differences in the consumption behavior of the different consumers in the market that affects their tastes and preferences. This respective segmentation helps the employees in analyzing the lifestyle of the different individuals effectively as well (Kotler 2015). Type of Segmentation Valuable for Subway The type of segmentation that is considered to be most valuable in nature for Subway is the mix of both demographic and geographical segmentation as this helps in making their products more appealing in nature in comparison to the other brands in the market (Rosenbaum-Elliott, Percy and Pervan 2015). Furthermore, the geographic segmentation will help Subway in targeting their customers in an effective manner by analyzing their offerings to the customers and this will help them in attracting more customers towards their brand as well. Furthermore, this has been seen and mentioned that Subway can use the value-based positioning strategy that helps the company in managing the offerings of the customers and create a long-lasting image on the minds of the customers in the entire organization as well. The geographic segmentation is one of the best options that can be used by Subway as this helps the company in dividing the market as per the geography and their menu will be based on the preferences of the different countries or regions (Kim et al. 2014). Lastly, the demographic segmentation will help Subway in segmenting their market as per the race, religion and gender of the population and they try to provide the products at cheap prices that is affordable by all. The product is the first criteria that is required to be analyzed by the company as to analyze the preferences of the customers in the market. Furthermore, the main product in the Subway menu is the submarine sandwiches along with different baked foods such as doughnuts and muffins (Eshuis, Klijn and Braun 2014). There are different options provided to the customers of making and preparing their own sub sandwiches. Furthermore, Subway has made different variations in the menu and changes in the menu as well as per the different places and they have tried to open new Indian Subway in different places wherein they do not include pork or beef variety of the sandwiches as well. Subway is premium pricing strategy in comparison to KFC and McDonalds and it has higher pricing price in comparison to the other two. Furthermore, it has been seen and noticed that the low-calorie kind of sandwiches that are sold by Subway is worth and deserving to include such pricing and they try to provide proper pricing to the different products by maintaining better quality food and tried to attract more customers as well. There are different other factors that is required to be considered while deciding the pricing strategy and this includes competition is the best example that is required to be analyzed by Subway as to gain more customers in the market and understand the role of the competitors in the market as well. Subway has maintained as to gain competitive advantage and they tried to implement different other techniques which has helped Subway in understanding and analyzing their ways to improve the customer service. The place is the distribution channel of the product and Subway has distinction of being franchise in terms of the growth in the entire world. The respective restaurant chain is one of the largest operators of restaurants that are 42673 in number and the headquarter is located in USA. On the other hand, when the product is premium consumer product, this will be available only in selected stores. The distribution has huge affect on product profitability in an effective manner. Considering the FMCG company, that has national distribution for the respective product, this will help Subway in analyzing the different strategies that has helped them in expanding their presence in the entire world effectively and appropriately with proper measures. Communications campaign review should include: The Promotional Mix tends to play a major role in the domain of business and it comprises of a blend of various methods in order to present the company and represent its products in the market in front of the target customers (Ramaswamy and Mosher 2013). Promotion forms an essential part of marketing and therefore, it goes a long way in attracting the different customers and generating loyalty. The different tactics which are used in a promotion mix help an organization to correlate the communication objectives carefully with the objectives of an organization and assists firm in successfully being able to market its products in the right manner The promotional mix element as adopted by Subway comprises of the following: Television Advertising- the Company sees to it that it advertises adequately on the television. It helps to reach out to a larger number of customers. Newspaper Print Ads- It gives away various print advertisements on the newspaper as well. It helps to reach out to a larger group of people. Pamphlets- It distributes pamphlets in different parts of a particular country or a city. It helps to make quick decisions (Miquel-Romero, Caplliure-Giner and Adame-Snchez 2014). Social Media Advertisement- The social media is also used as a tool to analyze the different target customers and to advertise the products in that channel. It reaches out to the new target group. Discounts and Packages: The Company offers various discounts and combined meals to the customers as well whereby they get huge discounts in case they buy products together. Helps to promote the products. Subway uses a multi-channel communication technique in order to be able to reach out to the given customers. Subway believes that only one channel will not be sufficient enough to make the customers aware (Bagozzi et al. 2018). Hence, Subway makes the use of a wide variety of strategies and techniques which include channels such as Television, Social Media, Newspaper , Print media and mobile channels as well. Subway wants to ensure that the market share of the company increases considerably. The given video tends to portray the message that the company wants to portray that it produces customized products for the different customers. It portrays that for the convenience of the customers, the company shall customize it according to the taste (YouTube. 2018). For this reason, the company wants to meet with the needs of the customers and for this purpose, it has advertised accordingly to portray successful achievement of the taste of the target market. Young Millennials- The young millennials are one of the most ardent customers of Subway who are concerned about their choices are seem to be confused. Hence, the customize option has been provided to them. Children The advertisement shows children enjoying a sub also, hence the children are also being targeted. Health conscious People who like to have healthy food are also being targeted in the given campaign. They can opt for tastier meals but have healthy options as well. Application of AIDA model The AIDA model is used to identify the different cognitive stages which a suitable customer goes through before purchasing the service or the product. AIDA stands for the following: Awareness- The given advertisement tends to create brand awareness with the given product by associating the different options available and the products which can be chosen from the Subway brand. Interest- Interest can be gathered effectively by sharing the benefits of the product (Goworek, McGoldrick and McGoldrick 2015) .As subway states that the product can be made according to the taste of the consumer, this aspect tends to bring about feedback to the customers. Desire- The emotional connection is created through this aspect. This stage helps in transforming from liking to wanting it. Subway creates this aspect while reflecting the kind of people in the advertisement very close to the actual audience. Action- The last step is the action plan which convinces the buyer to use the product by interacting directly (Kotabe and Helsen 2014). This can be done by the subway outlets and the executives themselves. The method which can be used by the Body Shop to measure consumer feedback is as follows: Facebook reaction: As the advertisement will be aired in all social media networking cites as well, this can be effectively used as a method to attain feedback. The comments section of the video along with the likes and reactions received on the particular video needs to be effectively analyzed in order to determine what the reaction of the general crowd is. Based on these feedbacks which will be received, the company can successfully change the components of the promotion mix. References Andrews, T.G., Chew, W., Aaker, D.A., Aaker, D.A., Andrews, T.G., Chompusri, N., Andrews, T.G., Chompusri, N., Andrews, T.G., Chompusri, N. and Baldwin, B.J., 2017. Brands and Brand Equity: Definition and Management. InBuilding Brands in Asia: From the Inside Out(Vol. 32, No. 1, pp. 1-8). New York: Marshall Cavendish. Armstrong, G., Kotler, P., Harker, M. and Brennan, R., 2015.Marketing: an introduction. Pearson Education. Bagozzi, R.P., Rosa, J.A., Celly, K.S. and Coronel, F., 2018. Marketing-Management. Walter de Gruyter GmbH Co KG. Baker, M.J. and Saren, M. eds., 2016.Marketing theory: a student text. Sage. Eshuis, J., Klijn, E.H. and Braun, E., 2014. Place marketing and citizen participation: branding as strategy to address the emotional dimension of policy making?.International review of administrative sciences,80(1), pp.151-171. Fan, S., Lau, R.Y. and Zhao, J.L., 2015. Demystifying big data analytics for business intelligence through the lens of marketing mix.Big Data Research,2(1), pp.28-32. Goworek, H., McGoldrick, P.J. and McGoldrick, P.J., 2015. Retail marketing management: Principles and practice. Pearson Education Limited. Kavaratzis, M., Warnaby, G. and Ashworth, G.J. eds., 2014.Rethinking place branding: Comprehensive brand development for cities and regions. Springer. Kim, K., Hayes, J.L., Avant, J.A. and Reid, L.N., 2014. Trends in advertising research: A longitudinal analysis of leading advertising, marketing, and communication journals, 1980 to 2010.Journal of advertising,43(3), pp.296-316. Kotabe, M. and Helsen, K., 2014. Global marketing management. Kotler, P., 2015.Framework for marketing management. Pearson Education India. Kumar, V., Sharma, A. and Gupta, S., 2017. Accessing the influence of strategic marketing research on generating impact: moderating roles of models, journals, and estimation approaches.Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science,45(2), pp.164-185. Lehmann, D.R. and Winer, R.S., 2017. The role and impact of reviewers on the marketing discipline. Miquel-Romero, M.J., Caplliure-Giner, E.M. and Adame-Snchez, C., 2014. Relationship marketing management: Its importance in private label extension.Journal of Business Research,67(5), pp.667-672. Ramaswamy, S.K. and Mosher, G.A., 2013. Marketing Management. Rosenbaum-Elliott, R., Percy, L. and Pervan, S., 2015.Strategic brand management. Oxford University Press, USA. Saleh, M.A.H., 2016. Themes and topics of research in marketing: A content analysis of the articles published in three marketing journals.International Journal of Business Administration,7(1), p.12. Subway.com, (2018). [online] Available at: https://www.subway.com/en-us [Accessed 26 Jun. 2018]. YouTube. ,2018. MAKE IT WHAT YOU WANT.. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRzJ1mdkljQfeature=youtu.be [Accessed 26 Jun. 2018]. Zenker, S., Braun, E. and Petersen, S., 2017. Branding the destination versus the place: The effects of brand complexity and identification for residents and visitors.Tourism Management,58, pp.15-27.

Institutional Distance free essay sample

The case of mobile operators Nicolai Pogrebnyakov a,? , Carleen F. Maitland b a b Department of International Business and Management, Copenhagen Business School, Frederiksberg 2000, Denmark College of Information Sciences and Technology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States. This paper applies the institutional lens to the internationalization process model. It updates the concept of psychic distance in the model with a recently developed, theoretically grounded construct of institutional distance. Institutions are considered simultaneously at the national and industry levels. It also aims to understand whether the internationalization process of service firms is different from the behavior predicted by the model, which was developed for the manufacturing context. We empirically test the model using proportional hazard analysis with 130 instances of entry and presence of mobile operators in Europe and South America over 13 years. In? uences of regulative, normative and cognitive institutional aspects were disaggregated and shown to have differing effect on internationalization. We will write a custom essay sample on Institutional Distance or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This suggests that institutional distance is a viable alternative to other distance measures used in the internationalization process research. The results also indicate that the internationalization behavior of this type of service The institutional perspective allows better understanding of how cultural beliefs, norms as well as formal rules in? uence the operation of organizations (Gooderham et al. , 1999). The mutual in? uences of institutions and organizations on one another have been systematically investigated (DiMaggio and Powell, 1983). Furthermore, the separation of institutions into different levels, including world, societal, organizational and individual, have led to a recognition of the differing in? uences of institutions at each of these levels on organizations and other types of actors (Scott, 1995). This paper has three objectives. First, it integrates the recently developed construct of institutional distance with insights from the internationalization process model. That construct has origins in institutional theory, which has been applied to many aspects of organizational behavior. Whether institutional distance affects behavior of internationalizing ? rms is as yet unclear. Second, it contributes to statistical studies of internationalization research. Qualitative methodology in this domain allows to gain insight of motives or decision-making processes involved in internationalization. By contrast, quantitative examinations allows understanding of the â€Å"big picture† and observe larger-scale patterns of internationalization. However, statistical studies have been somewhat underrepresented in favor of qualitative studies (Barkema et al. , 1996), and this paper is an attempt to bridge that gap. Finally, it aims to enhance our understanding of internationalization of service ? rms. Its theoretical foundation is the internationalization process model, which was developed for the manufacturing sector and applied to services with mixed results. In particular, it asks whether ? ms in the mobile telecommunications industry, with its end product that has global appeal and little cross-country variation, are subject to learning experience when entering foreign markets as predicted by the model. This objective is timely and important because it addresses calls for thorough research of internationalization of service ? rms, of which there have been few studies (Cicic et al. , 1999). To address these objectives, we construct a Cox proportional hazards regression model using data on 130 instances of foreign entry and presence of mobile operators in 36 countries of Europe and South America over 13 years. The study is set in the context of the mobile telecommunications industry. Mobile services have diffused across the globe faster than any previous technology (World Bank, 2008). Mobile telephony was used by over 60% of the worlds population in 2008, up from a quarter ? ve years before, and is projected to grow strongly despite the recent economic turmoil (International Telecommunications Union, 2009). However, while the use of mobile services is generally widespread, signi? cant differences in demand and supply exist. On the demand side, countries vary in their levels of adoption (e. . , 50% in Moldova compared with 94% in France in 2008) and patterns of use (e. g. , text messaging was until recently more widely used in Europe than in the United States). On the supply side, mobile operators are often national ? rms with investments from or in competition with foreign ? rms from a variety of countries. For example, in the U. S. , Verizon Wireless, a domestic ? rm, is in fact a joint v enture with the British ? rm Vodafone and competes against the German ? rm T-Mobile. The paper is structured as follows.

Todays And Yesterdays Laws On Drinking

Todays And Yesterdays Laws On Drinking Todays and Yesterdays Laws on Drinking By john doe English Composition I Professor Louis M. Rosenberg Massasoit Community College April 14, 2002 Laws on alcohol have come along way. Back when the legal age for drinking was eighteen, teenagers were still too irresponsible to handle this privilege. I feel the ways the laws on alcohol are now are much more appropriate for society today. Since prohibition was repealed by the twenty-first amendment in nineteen-thirty three, the drinking age laws were set by the state; and many states allowed the purchase of alcohol at eighteen years old, which I believe is too young. Other people also believed there were many reasons that this age was appropriate, due to the amount of accidents caused by this age group. Later the law was changed to a National law that you must be twenty-one years of age to purchase alcohol. After the law was changed many I would agree that it was extremely effective, the statistics showed a dramatic drop in automobile acc idents among teenage drivers.David Vitter with Laura Dean-Mooney, the National ...This lead Americans to believe it was a good law and should be kept in effect. Although this law made a large change in our society, under age drinking is still a major problem in this country and many new laws are still being made today to try and solve this dilemma of under age drinking.After Prohibition was repealed and people were given back the right to purchase alcohol, there were many debates to what age a person should be allowed to purchase or consume alcohol. During the seventies nearly all of the states lowered their legal drinking age to eighteen from where it used to be at twenty-one. One argument in an essay written by Alex Koroknay, that made a very strong point to support the...

made in the USA essays

made in the USA essays Made in the USA has come to be a very generic term used on a lot of products from all around the world. Currently, there are no standards to set what is actually Made in the USA. Companies claim that if a few parts of the product have been made within its boarders it is deemed Made in the USA. By personal standards, I think that if a product has a majority of its parts made within the boarders of North America it has a right to be classified as Made in the USA and also have its seal. It is the same way in any country; it is a statement of pride or patriotism. That is why Americans want to support their own and keep their money in their economy. This forms a sense of unity and supporting your fellow American. Products fully made in the United States is nearly impossible to find. Making all the parts for a specific product is hard for any country to accomplish. Since the resources are based in different areas; we have to rely on other countries for certain products. A majority of petroleum comes from the Middle East which is produced into plastics. Plastic is one of the most used products in our current age. Therefore, any product to be fully made in the United States or in any country it is barely possible. Certain resources are more abundant in different places, which make them less expensive in those areas. Supply and demand makes it more economical to buy from the countries that have more of a product, which lowers the product costs. Product cost is the basis for all decisions of which country certain products come from. Technically we could make a product completely in the United States, but the cost would be so high for some of the parts, which is why we import different parts. This makes the products a lot cheaper compared to the same that would be actually made in the USA. A set of shoes at a store that where Made in the USA where $99, but the other shoes of the sam...

Role Of Satirical TV Shows In People's Enhancing Political Awareness Essay - 7

Role Of Satirical TV Shows In People's Enhancing Political Awareness - Essay Example Satirical television shows help the audience to be more conscious of the news and politics by using comedies to expose the misconduct of politicians. Satirical TV shows provide are designed and comedies but has a rich content that exposes the truth of the political arena. First, the TV shows provide disclosure of hidden political agendas that the public are least aware of. The designers of Satirical TV shows use an exciting approach to tell the public of the mischief of politicians. These programs provide a detailed exposure of the information that covers the effects of the politics on the society and the specific country or even particular groups in the society. They cover a wide range of misbehavior patterns among the politicians and present them in a comical manner. Providing this information to the public allows people to learn about the behavior of their political leaders and this attracts their attention to be wary and more conscious of political behavior. In addition, the satirical TV shows make a direct attack on the political leaders, hence sensitizing them on the need to change certain negative behaviors. Most of the satirical TV shows expose specific political characters who have misbehaved and ridicule them. Actually, these shows mock negative political actions and sensitize the victims to change their behavior. As politicians are sensitive of their public image and the way these shows portray them to the society, they fear mockery and would rather come off clean. When these programs expose them to the public, they push them to change in an effort to reconstruct their political behavior. On this note, satirical TV shows provide the public with the real political images of their leaders and give the public the opportunity to push their leaders to change. In brief, satirical TV programs attract the people to contribute to changing the political arena.

The Impact of the US Economy on the Events Industry Research Paper - 1

The Impact of the US Economy on the Events Industry - Research Paper Example To the customer or guest, as special event is an opportunity for a leisure, social or cultural experience outside the The definition was corroborated by Getz who traced the evolution of the events planning and management as a profession and disclosed that â€Å"events are an important motivator of tourism, and figure prominently in the development and marketing plans of most destinations† (Getz 403).With more organizations pursuing endeavors that focus on a variety of events, it was, therefore, imminent that a categorization of events naturally occurred. From among the events categorization that emerged, the following were noted: local, major, hallmark and mega events (Skoultos and Tsimitakis); and the typology of planned events as presented by Getz who differentiated cultural celebrations, political and state events, arts and entertainment, business and trade, educational and scientific, sport competition and recreational events, and finally, private events (Getz 404). At this point, the definition of events tourism has been clearly established as â€Å"a systematic planning, development, and marketing of festivals and special events as tourist attractions, image-makers, catalysts for infrastructure and economic growth, and animators of built attraction† (Ghazali, Collins and Minnis qtd. in Skoultos and Tsimitakis 2). In different studies, it was clearly established that holding significant events generate marked impacts on the promoter of events, as well as in the location within which these events were organized and implemented. From a more traditional perspective, it was deduced that event tourism aims to spur economic growth and gain profound benefits in terms of money generated from the event (â€Å"expenditure on travel, entertainment, shopping, and pre- and post-conference tours† (â€Å"Labour Market Review of the Events Industry† 29)). Getz, on the other

United States-Russian relations in the post Cold War era Essay Example for Free

United States-Russian relations in the post Cold War era Essay The global affairs after the Second World War were dominated by two superpowers with totally different political and socioeconomic models. The central drama within the global system was characterized by conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union expressed in the form of capitalism and communism. These two superpowers had at their disposal the greatest armies and artilleries that no any other country could match during this period of time (Donnelly, 1965). The internal organization of these two superpowers was radically different with the United States having a democratic polity and a market economy while the Soviet Union having a totalitarian political system and a command economy. Each of these nations believed in the superiority of their system and thus attempted to actively promote the replication of these systems in other countries while at the same time hindering the expansion of the others system. The competition between the United States and Russia was thus driven by this ideological divide. Put simply, the United States and the Soviet Union were not only rivals because of their greatness in the international system but also because they were two powers with irreconcilable visions concerning how the political, social and economic life should be organized. During the initial stages of the final decade of the twentieth century, one side in this bipolar ideologically divided system collapsed and for the first time in the history of the modern world, there occurred a shift the international balance of power without a major conflict leading to war. For the political leaders in Russia and the United States, these were hard times and talks were initiated concerning the new task of transforming Russia into a democratic polity, market economy and a new associate with the West, instantly erasing the cold war. However, as the century concluded, the attitude in the United States-Russian relations was becoming more inclined towards the cold war era than with the more optimistic periods of the early nineteen nineties. The policies that the Clinton administration had pursued toward Russia were derided by members of the Congress, academics, journalists and the emerging campaign by George W. Bush for the presidency. The question that they most often asked was whoever â€Å"lost Russia†. In particular, the Clinton administration was charged with failing in virtually every issue. It was accused of delving too much into Russian internal affairs, ignoring or even supporting corruption among leading Russian officials, over personalizing their relationship with Yeltsin, being blind to the evils of Russia towards the breakaway Republic of Chechnya and failure to stop Russia from assisting Iran with its nuclear weapons program. Listening to the experts and the Republicans led to the conclusion that every conceivable thing that would have gone wrong concerning the United States-Russian relations did go wrong (Masci, 1998: 232-3). The major question that one is bound to ask is whatever happened between the years that the Soviet Union collapsed and the witch hunt for the lost Russia less than a decade later. Various argument have been put forward with some holding that it was largely the fault of the first Bush administration for failing to offer enough assistance to the fledgling regime of Yeltsin in 1992 (Goldgeier McFaul, 2003). Others still argue that all the wrong kinds of assistance was provided by the Clinton administration after 1993 or that it had pursued â€Å"anti-Russian† policies which maximized Russian resentment for the West (Beschloss Talbott, 1993: 9). The relations between Russia and the United States seemed to have taken a decisive turn in the aftermath of the 9/11 attack in 2001, hardly a year after George Bush became the president. Russian president showed a good gesture by moving quickly to show his sympathy for the United States and pledging his support for collective responsibility against global terrorism. There was much optimism that Russia was being inclined to the West. The relationship between the United States and Russia seemed better until the period of the American-led war with Iraq. In looking at the relationship between the United states and Russia, I am primarily interested in the perception of the United States policy makers concerning what they intended to accomplish and their understanding of the events. For instance, did they understand that there was a transition going on in the Soviet Union in 1991 and what was their belief concerning what they could do? Did the United States believe that the enemy was gone once the Soviet Union disintegrated? The most transformative events in the affairs of the world since the period that immediately followed World War II was marked by the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Before this period, the United States foreign policy was focused of containing the threat posed by the Soviet Union. The Americans, prior to 19090s, saw every issue in the world in the perspective of the cold war struggle with the Soviet Union-whether it was peace in the middle East, defense of Europe, African civil war or even the development of resources on the floor of the ocean. Thus, the collapse of the Soviet Union dealt a blow for United States foreign policymakers. Considering that the main American enemy was defeated, there was need for the vacuum to be filled posing an intellectual and organizational challenge of refocusing and reorienting foreign policy away from the period of cold war and toward a new relationship with Russia. With the end of the Cold War, an opportunity for creating a basically new and cooperative relationship between Russia and the United States was established. The establishment of a positive United States-Russian partnership was seen to offer benefits not only for the two nations but also in confronting the challenges that the human race is faced with during this period of time. A necessary climate for beefing up United States-Russian relations was created by the changes that were introduced in the foreign policy of the Soviet Union during Gorbachevs tenure. The new way of thinking introduced by Gorbachev held that the preservation of peace must be the fundamental objective of all nations. The Marxist thought of class struggle was abandoned as the central guiding principle in foreign policy. Instead, the global human values were to go beyond the narrow class interests in guiding the conduct and behavior of nations. This New Thinking was not the same as the principle adopted by Khrushchev. In his principle of peaceful coexistence, Khrushchev advocated for the evasion of all out war between communist and capitalist system even though he did not indicate that the struggle between capitalism and communism should be concluded. He continued to maintain that one of the systems will emerge to be the victor. Gorbachev and his associates saw the world as an interrelated totality where every nation must cooperate for in the interest of the survival of entire human race. The basic argument was that nations of communist and capitalist orientation should not exist in a state of perpetual struggle. It was held that every nation should make concerted effort to ensure that the world is a safe place. Gorbachevs New Thinking was not simply a rhetoric or propaganda but was supported by dramatic changes in the international behavior of Russia. Gorbachev saw the collapse of the Berlin Wall and signed important agreement with the United States. Russia also sought for integration in the world economy besides seeking for a more positive relation with democracies of Western Europe. The United States and Russia also participated jointly in dialogs aimed at resolving regional conflicts in places like Africa. The Soviet troops were also removed from Afghanistan and Africa by the soviet government. There was also cooperation between the two nations in their response to the Kuwait invasion by Iraq. With this regard, the relation between the United States and Russia improved so much during the tenure of Gorbachev. It was during this period that the thinking and preferences of Russians with regard to foreign policy underwent massive transformation. Russia discarded their confrontational approach of depending on their military force in favor of diplomatic cooperation as the preferred method of building and managing positive relationships with other nations. The Soviet principle of New Thinking stressed on the holistic nature of the world community, offering a significant and appropriate set of concepts for guiding the behavior of nations in the global environment. Ronald Reagan who had described the Soviet Union as an evil empire changed his view considering the dramatic changes that the Soviet Union underwent. When he was asked if he still considered the Soviet Union as an evil state, he responded that his initial remarks were meant for a different time and era. With the end of the Cold War, the animosity between the two nations also concluded. This spirit that was started by Soviet leaders was adopted by other succeeding leaders. After taking office, Yeltsin stated their aim to become involved with other countries in the world in the process of â€Å"asserting the ideals of humanism, freedom and democracy in the community of mankind†. He also stated Russias intention to pursue â€Å"an honest, open and moral policy which is not subordinated to ideological dictate†. This statement shows that Russia was slowly being integrated into the global system by changing from a military to civilian based economy. As much as his foreign policies appeared to be a continuation of the non-confrontational approach, the strategies that he adopted encompassed basic domestic changes that had implications for the United States foreign policy (Cross Oborotova, 1994). The attempt by Gorbachev to carry out reforms within the context of the existing socialist system had led to some ambiguity and suspicion in the United States concerning the intention of Soviet leadership. It also restricted the degree to which shared values existed between the former Soviet Union and the United States. Yeltsin on the other hand openly rooted for capitalism, abandoning the socialist model, thereby eliminating ideological ambiguity and extending the foundation for common United States-Russian values and objectives. He reiterated his commitment to nurturing democratization of Russia and embracing a free market economy which are the sacred values of American tradition. Although the Yeltsin era is a representation of the continuation of the peaceful policies that had been placed during the time of Gorbachev, it is during his tenure that one can actually begin talking about a new chapter in the relations between the United States and Russia. As much as the United States was cautious in their response to these dramatic changes in the former Soviet Union particularly during the tenure of Gorbachev, its administration welcomed such changes and were willing to exploit the new opportunities to improve bilateral relations. James Barker, once the United States Secretary of State, classified the progress of United States policy towards the former Soviet Union and Russia from the period of Gorbachev to the period of Yeltsin and moving â€Å"further than detente and even diplomatic cooperation† to â€Å"broad international partnership†. The leadership of Yeltsin changed the conception that the United States of the Western powers were potential enemies of the Russian Federation (Allin, 1995). Clinton recognized the heavy task faced by the new Russian Federation reformers, appealing to the United States to support the Russians. According to him, the Russians were attempting to carry out three fundamental changes at once. These fundamental changes were; the shift to market economy from communism, a shift to democracy from tyrannical dictatorship and a shift to an independent state from a great empire-an endeavor that the United States ought to support (Cohen, 1993). Clinton emphasized the importance of Russia at the 1993 Russo-American summit in Vancouver, reaffirming the United States economic and security interest in establishing a favorable United States-Russian relationship. He pointed out that the progress of Russia and the new independent states of the former Soviet Union toward democracy and free market was held with much importance by the United States as it represents a great security challenge and provides great economic opportunities (Weber, 1993: 253). After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the United States president George Bush and the Russian president Yeltsin signed the Camp David Declaration which defined the relations between the two countries as founded on â€Å"friendship and partnership†. Andrey Kozyrev, Russian Foreign Minister, stated that the goal of Russia vis-a-vis the United States is the stable establishment of relations with an inclination toward strategic partnership and alliance founded on common values (Friedman, 2000). Conclusion Russia and the United States would do much injustice to each other if they choose to pursue isolationist course. However, there has been an increase in public support for withdrawal from the foreign scene in both countries. In the last American presidential elections was dominated by domestic issues. This trend was also seen almost two decades ago in 1992 when the presidential election was also characterized by domestic issue. After the Second World War, the Americans saw that their freedom and security were threatened by communism and thus were ready to support presidential appeals to counter the expansion of Soviet around the world. However, the post-Cold War era lacks Soviet as the enemy and thus the American public increasingly became uninterested in foreign affairs. Many Americans fail to strike the link between domestic and foreign issues as they are basically concerned with the rising unemployment, sagging economy, health care and a variety of domestic problems and hence lack the sympathy to invest their energies in dealing with the problem of other countries. Consequently, in Russia, policymakers, academics and the general public have circulated arguments that the country should concern itself with internal problems and that shifting from international realm would be integral for resources to be freed for domestic purposes. One variation of this trend seem to have gained prominence among politicians and scholars. The position holds that the Russian foreign policy should be continentalist as opposed to globalist. This position posits that the domestic problems in Russia hinders its possibilities for pursuing an active and multifaceted foreign policy (Cross Oborotova, 1994). As such, there is a general feeling among the proponents of this position that Russia should focus its energies on seeking relationships with the neighboring countries in Europe and Asia. Within the increasingly interdependent world community, isolationism is not a realistic option. Limiting the relation between United States and Russia would not serve the interest of either nation. As much as the United States is the major remaining power and the undisputed leader of the Western world, it would be wrong to think that it can maintain peace in the world alone. It lacks the resources to carry out this role and must therefore cooperate with other major global powers so as to effectively counter the challenges existing in the post-cold War arena. Russia is still a strong nation and a nuclear superpower and hence the cooperation between these two countries is very important. As much as Russia is a Eurasian nation, it cannot ignore the role of the United States or become absorbed with its own domestic problems. There have been concerns with regard to Russia becoming an adversarial competitor of the United States if it decides to support her. The basic argument is that Russia has always been an aggressive and hostile nation besides being an expansionist power. However, this question cannot be answered at the moment. Nevertheless, there may be disastrous consequences for United States interests if it ignores of fail to focus its attention and resources in furthering a favorable U. S. -Russian partnership. The Russians have thus exhibited remarkable patience in the transition period. Most Russians have shown their commitment to move ahead despite the economic difficulties, recognizing that they have endured many hardships in the past and that they cannot go back to the repressive and inefficient system that characterized their past. In order for the United States and Russia to achieve an enduring and full scale partnership, there are many obstacles that still need to be overcome despite the favorable developments in their relations that have been witnesses in the past decade. Russia does not possess much experience with market economy neither does it comprehend fully democratic principles. Its political traditions are founded on the autocratic czarist rule. Its aspirations for reforms demand a deep cultural and psychological transition coupled with the establishment of a concrete and enduring democratic representative institutions. This shift to democracy is not a linear process and thus, Russia may experience some setbacks and even some reversals. Again, the interests of the United States and Russia may not correspond owing to the multitude of cultural, historical, geopolitical and economic reasons. Work cited Allin, D. (1995). Cold War Illusions: America, Europe, and Soviet Power, 1969-1989, NY Beschloss, M. Talbott, S. (1993). At the Highest Levels: The Inside Story of the End of the Cold War. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, Cohen, W. (1993). America in the Age of Soviet Power, 1945-1991, NY Cross, S. Oborotova, A. (1994). The New chapter in United States-Russian relations: opportunities and challenges. Greenwood Publishing Group Donnelly, D. (1965). Struggle for the World: The Cold War, 1917-1965, NY Friedman, N. (2000). The Fifty-Year War: Conflict and Strategy in the Cold War, Annapolis, Garthoff, R. (1994). The Great Transition: American-Soviet Relations and the End of the Cold War. Brookings Institution Press Goldgeier, J. McFaul, M. (2003). Power and purpose: U. S. policy toward Russia after the Cold War. Brookings Institution Press Masci, D. (1998). U. S. -Russian Relations: Is the Post-Cold War Friendship in Trouble? CQ Press Weber, M. (1993). The Emergence of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation. Communist and Post Communist Studies, vol. 26, no. 3

Education and Awareness Will Promote Environmental Justice Essay

Education and Awareness Will Promote Environmental Justice The goals of this environmental justice conference are stated simply: firstly, to explore whether racial minorities and the poor are being environmentally victimized, and secondly, to evaluate public policies that promote environmental fairness. Each speaker provided insight and information from their respective area of expertise. Led by keynote speaker Dr. Bunyan Bryant, they drew upon the realms of academic investigation, government and public policy, sociology, healthcare, and philosophy to unite the environmental movement with the quest for social justice. After absorbing so much information concerning the current state of environmental justice, one leaves the conference with an overwhelming sense of responsibility to promote awareness and fairness when dealing with issues of environmental quality. Dr. Bunyan Bryant of the University of Michigan began by addressing the history, issues, dilemmas, and central premises of the environmental justice movement. Dr. Bryant distinguishes environmental racism, or the targeting of certain communities for undesirable land use, from environmental equity. The movement is characterized by a complexity of cultural norms, rules, regulations, behaviors, values, policies, and decisions. These influences either lead to the promotion of sustainable communities and the realization of high potentials, or contribute to the degradation of environments by impeding communities from enjoying social, political, and environmental health. Dr. Bryant notes the importance of key events, ranging from the effects of the 1990 Michigan Conference to the earlier convergence of the civil rights and environmental movements around the time of the as... ...s from diverse areas in order to achieve an integrated perspective of the issues, successes, and common goals characterizing the environmental justice movement. The conference was bound together by a common message - the need for education and awareness of issues of environmental quality. Environmental justice corresponds directly to human health and quality of life throughout the world. Regardless of whether or not an environmental hazard exists in one's community or backyard, it is necessary to be informed of the issues that affect us all. The goals of the conference were thus met by clarifying that environmental injustice is indeed occurring, thereby instilling in each participant the need for continued education and involvement in the quest for safe and healthy environments for all. This is the way in which environmental justice will prevail in future societies.

Asian Literature Essay

Asia, the world’s largest continent, expands from the area formerly known as the U.S.S.R. to the Bering Strait and as far south as the Indian Ocean. Scholars limit the areas of Asia to focus predominantly on the Eastern Asian area in regard to Asian American literary guidelines. Asian American literature allows a further exploration of the past and traditional Asian philosophies like Confucianism and Buddhism. Asian American literature also provides a voice to a culture generally ignored allowing Asian American authors to dispel stereotypes and explain cultural traditions. Asian American literature contains numerous originating nationalities, religions, languages, and philosophies for a monolithic philosophical definition. Asian Philosophy The basis of Eastern Asian philosophy finds roots in the principle of awareness of the relationship between all things and events. This principle explains the idea of the concept of the unification of an individual with the universe or a sense of oneness. Eastern philosophy encompasses the principles of Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, and Taoism. Buddhists believe in the principle of the Middle Way or to seek moderation and avoid self-indulgence or extravagance (Ling, n.d.). Buddhists accept the impermanence of nature and an interconnection of all things. Confucianism encompasses the principles of personal and governmental morality, appropriateness of social relationships, sincerity, and justice (Ling, n.d.). Hinduism in India and Taoism in China are two other philosophies reigning from Eastern Asia. Hinduism expresses a belief in the idea of the Absolute. This principle explains the accepted human reality as an illusion because the spirit lives infinitely. Hinduism preaches the idea of meditation to connect with the environment and reach self-realization. Taoism expresses the principle of Nature. Taoists believe the principle of Nature flows throughout life and connects all things (Ling, n.d.). Taoists seek to find harmony with Nature to find a happy and virtuous life. Limited exposure to Asian philosophy in America through literature cause a stereotypical and limited opinion of Asian American culture and philosophy. Typically Americans find exposure to Asian and Asian American culture and philosophy through movies and television shows creating specific stereotypes of Asian culture. The inadequate availability of Asian and Asian American literature in the United States to explain the principles of the Asian philosophies Asian Americans believe does not provide a strong voice in the Asian American community for change. The literature available explains the experience of Asian Americans in the United States. Asian Literature The experiences of Asian immigrants and Asian Americans in modern society typify Asian American literature. Scholars generally recognized Asian American literature written beginning in the 1970s as part of the Asian American canon. Asian American literature depicts the immigrant experience in America and in later generation assimilation. Asian American literature illustrates how language created stereotypes difficult to overcome. Asian American literature also explores the feelings of Asian Americans living in internment camps during WWII and how Asian Americans incorporate Asian culture with American culture to fit into the American cultural scheme. In the essay â€Å"Mother Tongue† by Amy Tan explains how all people speak in different languages and the subsequent categorization based on speech. Tan explains the different types of English she uses to write and the kind of English she uses when she speak with her mother. When Tan speaks to her mother she speaks broken English so that her mother understands rather than grammatically correct English. â€Å"I heard myself saying this: not waste money that way,† (Wong, 1996, p. 40). Tan explains she uses this type of English when speaking with her family even though her mother understands more English than speaking in a broken up pattern denotes. Tan later says, â€Å"When I was growing up, my mother’s â€Å"limited† English limited my perception of her,† (Wong, 1996, p. 43). Tan explains how in generally American’s view Asians who speak with fractured English as limited in knowledge or intelligence and how she herself was a victim of viewing her own mother through this stereotype. Tan uses the experience of her Asian mother to explain cultural racism in America and how English as her second language speakers makes daily communications difficult. In â€Å"No Name Woman† by Maxine Hong Kingston explains how a Chinese mother explained life lessons and warnings to her children through the same stories she grew up being told. The mother in the story tells a bloody tale of a woman who disgraced herself by becoming pregnant and how the villagers destroyed the woman’s belongings and the family’s home as well as killing animals and taking items to bless themselves after cleansing the house. The story ends with the pregnant woman killing herself and her baby and is never mentioned by the family again as if she never existed. â€Å"Don’t let your father know I that I told you. He denies her. Now that you have started to menstruate, what happened to her could happen to you. Don’t humiliate us,† (Maxine Hong Kingston, n.d., para. 9). Kingston’s mother embraces traditional storytelling from over the top examples to discourage behavior in the younger generations. Garrett Hongo’s â€Å"Kubota† tells the story of Hongo’s grandfather and how after the attacks on Pearl Harbor by Japan he and his family feared for their lives. Hongo’s grandfather, a Japanese American citizen, gathered for questioning by the FBI because of being part Japanese. It did not matter that he was born an American citizen as were the other Japanese Americans gathered it only mattered that he was Asian. â€Å"Many of these men–it was exclusively the Japanese American men suspected of ties to Japan who were initially rounded up–did not see their families again for over four years,† (Hongo, 1995, para. 7). Hongo explores the political prejudices endured by Japanese American’s during the war and how this treatment changed people. Hongo explained, â€Å"I am Kubota’s eldest grandchild, and I remember him as a lonely, habitually silent old man who lived with us in our home near Los Angeles for most of my childhood a nd adolescence,† (Hongo, 1995, para. 8). Conclusion Asian American literature encompasses the philosophical and cultural traditions of the area in Asia known as Eastern Asia. The generally accepted principle throughout different Asian philosophies is self-actualization and oneness with the nature. In the United States Asian immigrants struggled to find work and cultural identity while assimilating to American culture. Often Americans stereotype older Asian Americans as not intelligent because of a fractured way of speaking English rather than speaking with proper grammar. Asians in America faced political racism during the war Asian Americans loyalty came into question because of the physical appearance of Asian descent. Asian American literature includes the colorful and dramatic storytelling style of Asian culture when explaining the importance of accepting and continuing traditional Asian values to younger Asian American generations.

1984 by George Orwell: Challenging Relationships and Power Play

1984 by George Orwell explores the challenging relationships between different sets of powerplay. It ultimately maneuvers subordinates into positions where it is able to hold power against them, shaping the wants and desires of the powerless. The public awareness of this use of power is nil, as everyone struggles to be the perfect party member, yet as individuals, the desire to hold what is beyond their grasp calls them, and members of the public strive to find the pieces of their independence. Orwell places a normal character into a world where every aspect of life is dominated by a power so indestructible, hope created is scarce. The protagonist, Winston, is concerned with individual freedom and expression, and these two issues control his journey through the book. Winston struggles to discover his individuality, with the knowledge that the moment he began to separate from the public thought, he was a dead man. Winston holds onto hope, writing in his journal towards the beginning of the text, † If there is hope, it lies in the proles. The unsatisfying reality hits Winston the moment he realises the proles (short for proletarians, the lowest class in this society) are of no hope at all. The statement, that the proles † can be granted intellectual liberty because they have no intellect„ , brings the truth to light. If we view the entire lower class in 1984 as one individual, it portrays the helplessness of the proles against the Party, against Big Brother, the larger powers of society. The manner in which Winston describes the lower classes, it is not difficult to view them as one whole, one more character in the text. Another failed idea of hope is that of the younger generation. Often used in other texts as a positive change in regime, 1984 turns the children into the armours of betrayal, abandoning even their own families to the Thought Police, as Parson#s children do to their father while he sleeps. By creating a situation which mocks reasonable hopes, 1984 alludes to the issue of vulnerability of the individual once again. This irony is similar to that in the poem † Ozy Mandias„ by Percy Bysshe Shellie, who creates an irony through change in history. The persona declares † I am Ozy Mandias, king of kings/ look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair! „ These two lines juxtapose the next, which simply states † Nothing else remains„ . Just when a power thinks it can survive even God, shown through the capatilisation of the †M„ in † Mighty„, time destroys his works, leaving † Two vast and trunkless legs of stone„ standing † in the desertâ€Å" . Although the irony is cutely different in technique, the emphasis remains in the power driven manners they are obtained. Through the systematic indoctrination of the children in 1984 to preserve Big Brother for the future, leaving no hope of change, so too does Shellie through writing this poem preserve the legacy of OzyMandias. And so sure is Ozy Mandias that his image will survive that of God#s, so too is modern society#s hope in their children. This irony leads the individual on, leaving the reality of the situation too late to escape it.

Types of Writing Classes

Types of Writing Classes There is no better way to become a better writer than to sign up for and take some basic writing classes.   These classes can be found all over the place, at local park districts or community colleges, to online clubs, or a local group that meets weekly at a cafe to discuss their work. I strongly believe that anyone who has any serious desires towards becoming a writer, or simply to improve their style and tone should be signed up for these classes and meeting with other writers.   They will critique your work and help you learn how to more effectively communicate your ideas in writing, which, of course, will help you grow as a writer and as a person. In my experience, the best classes are offered through colleges, though they are typically much more expensive there than anywhere else.   Try to find a community college where you can take some classes at a significant discount rather than a major state university or a private school.   In general, the classes will be significantly less money, and there will be fewer people in class, so you get more of a one-on-one with the teacher. Another option is to start, or to find a local group to meet with and discuss your writing with.   This is difficult for many people who aren’t sure where to look.   Indeed, these little clubs are a little hard to find, and many do not actively look for new members, so it is difficult to get into even if you can find one. The other option, which is often the best option for most people, is to enroll in an online writing class.   These classes are offered all over the place, often through colleges (again, expensive), but they do not require you to meet regularly or discuss in person, since everything is done through an online forum. Other times, there are types of writing classes which focus on giving you exercises and practice activities to engage your mind in writing on things that you normally wouldn’t consider writing about.   I personally think that these are more helpful to you than writing critique groups because they take you out of your element and force you to try something totally new.   This can help people who write only in one style by helping them realize new techniques that they can take from the new discipline and apply to their own. No matter what kind of class you decide on, make sure you take the time to go out and sign up for one right away.

Asking Better Questions with Blooms Taxonomy

Asking Better Questions with Bloom's Taxonomy Benjamin Bloom is known for developing the taxonomy of higher level thinking questions. The taxonomy provides categories of thinking skills that help educators formulate questions. The taxonomy begins with the lowest level thinking skill and moves to the highest level of thinking skill. The six thinking skills from lowest level to highest level are KnowledgeComprehensionApplicationAnalysisSynthesisEvaluation To really understand what this means, lets take Goldilocks and the 3 Bears and apply Blooms taxonomy. Knowledge Who was the biggest bear? What food was too hot? Comprehension Why didnt the bears eat the porridge?Why did the bears leave their house? Application List the sequence of events in the story.Draw 3 pictures showing the beginning, middle and ending of the story. Analysis Why do you think Goldilocks went for a sleep?How would you feel if you were Baby Bear?What kind of person do you think Goldilocks is and why? Synthesis How could you re-write this story with a city setting?Write a set of rules to prevent what happened in the story. Evaluation Write a review for the story and specify the type of audience that would enjoy this book.Why has this story been told over and over again throughout the years?Act out a mock court case as though the bears are taking Goldilocks to court. Blooms taxonomy helps you to ask questions that make learners think. Always remember that higher level thinking occurs with higher level questioning. Here are the types of activities to support each of the categories in Blooms Taxonomy: Knowledge LabelListNameStateOutlineDefineLocateRepeatIdentifyRecite Comprehension DiscussExplainProvide proof ofProvide an outlineDiagramMake a posterMake a collageMake a cartoon stripAnswer who, what, when, where, why questions Application ReportConstructSolveIllustrateConstructDesign Analysis SortAnalyzeInvestigateClassifySurveyDebateGraphCompare Synthesis InventExamineDesignFormulateHypothesizeRe-tell differentlyReportDevelop a gameSongExperimentGenerateCompose Evaluation SolveJustifySelf-evaluateConcludeDo an editorialWeight the pros/consMock trialGroup discussionJustifyJudgeCriticizeAppraiseJudgeRecommendation backed with informed opinionsWhy do you think.... The more you move toward higher level questioning techniques, the easier it gets. Remind yourself to ask open ended questions, ask questions that stimulate why do you think type answers. The goal is to get them thinking. What color  hat was he wearing? is a low-level thinking question, Why do you think he wore that color? is better. Always look to questioning and activities that make learners think. Blooms taxonomy provides an excellent framework to help with this.

Radical Behaviorist Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Radical Behaviorist Critique - Essay Example For the purpose of ensuring that the learner meets the learning outcome described above, it is of essence to use the constructivism radical approach during instruction. Constructivist approach Constructivism involves allowing the learner to solve problems on their own based on the experience they have gained over time. A constructivist classroom does not consider the learner as a passive recipient of information. Rather, the learner is actively involved in discovering knowledge by themselves and not necessarily depending on the instructor. In constructivist learning, the role of the teacher is simply to facilitate learning activities, then leaving the learner to acquire knowledge on their own. According to Seel (2011) constructivist theorists believe that the acquisition of knowledge is determinant on prior knowledge. Therefore, a learner only builds up upon previous knowledge while learning. Accordingly, in my mathematics class, the learners will be required to use the knowledge the y have acquired over time coupled with new ideas to find solutions to the algebraic problems. More importantly, the learners will use the mathematical knowledge they have acquired previously to achieve the set learning outcomes. ... This means that as a learner continues to perceive external information, they continually blend it with what they already know about the topic and make a meaning out of it. The process of acquiring external information may be through reading a book or viewing images. In the process of doing either, the learner stores the information in the short-term memory then later on, after they are through reading or viewing, the information is transferred into the long-term memory (Seel, 2011). From the long-term memory, the information can now be retrieved as knowledge. Using this information processing theory, I would change the view of constructivists that the teacher does not have a very important role to play in learner-centered learning. It is obvious that the learner needs the teacher to simplify some of the concepts for easier encoding and decoding. Therefore, in as much as the learner should be left to solve the problem on their own, the teacher needs to guide the learner in perceiving the instructions and solving the problem. Some algebraic equations may be too complex for the learner and they may need the teacher’s intervention. Schema theory of meaningful learning According to the schema theory, meaningful learning can only occur if the learner is able to use their schema to interpret their experiences. Schema in this case refers to a learner’s existing knowledge. This theory is somehow similar to the constructivist theory, in that it emphasizes on the role played by prior experiences in determining how a learner acquires knowledge. The constructivist and schema theories belong to a group of learning approaches that emphasize on discovery learning. Here, the learner is left to discover concepts on their own,

Marketing Plan for the Next Year for Atlantic Quench Assignment

Marketing Plan for the Next Year for Atlantic Quench - Assignment Example Atlantic Quench aims at availing the highest quality of juice and non-juice drink to the UK market at affordable prices. The juice drinks include: Cranberry Original Juice and Cranberry Mixed Juice Drinks, which are the main drink. They also offer Juice Max – pure Juice and Grab ‘n’ Go – Single Serve, among many others. The non-juice products include Cranberry Sauces and Cranberry Cordial Juice Drinks, as listed by Katsigris & Thomas (2012) as well as Fresh Cranberries, and New Dried Cranberries. The company also aims at introducing a new drink within the next one year.EconomicGiven the fact that the company always make sure that their products are as affordable as possible, it has been seen that the products are doing well in the UK market. Furthermore, the income per capita of the UK population is high enough for them to afford these products by Atlantic Quench (Lamb 2012, p. 197). Socio-culturalThe people of UK also like drinking juice. This is the reaso n as to why the brand has been able to do well in the UK. The new product being a tropical juice drink is likely to do well given the fact that UK residents consume juices in large quantities.TechnologyTechnology has also been a very important factor in the performance of the brand in the UK. The company has the latest production technologies that enable them to get the most from the fruits and make sure that they are preserved in a manner that the consumers are not affected in any way.

Old Life in Hangzhuo China and the Modern Life in New York City Essay

Old Life in Hangzhuo China and the Modern Life in New York City - Essay Example Similar to the modern day New York City, Huangzhuo is one of the most important cities in China in the 13th century. Huangzhuo is the capital of the Southern Song dynasty making it a major cultural and political center. The account of Marco Polo describes this city as "magnificent" and "beyond dispute the finest and the noblest in the world" (Yule 185). Being surrounded by bodies of water, the city is surrounded by twelve thousand bridges in order to facilitate travel to and from it. This physical structure is also present in the modern day New York even though the number of bridges is far smaller. The Staten Island is connected to Brooklyn by the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge (New York City). Being the capital of a dynasty, Huangzhuo has also been a seat of entertainment which is performed in what Marco Polo describes as "a rich, beautiful and spacious edifice, furnished in such style as to seem fit for a palace of an Emperor (Yule 186)" in one of the city's island. Within this structure, important celebrations and occasions are held. In the modern day New York City, this can be likened to the Coney Island which is one of the earliest amusement ground in the US, the Madison Square Garden, and the Broadway theatre district (New York City). The economic significance of the two cities is also comparable

Banking and Finance Essay Example for Free

Banking and Finance Essay Introduction The automated teller machine (ATM) is a machine that acts as a teller in an institution by receiving and issuing money to and from the ATM account holder or user. The growth and evolution of at ATMs was not only due to, but rather as a result of general global concentration in the technological revolution. This came due to challenges of multiple bulk of daily complex information that arise from existing difficulties like; increase in competition, increase in customer’s demand for both services provision as well as efficiency , expansion due to increase in demand and all the likes just to name a few. The ATM system used by micro financial institutions today is an inherited system from banking system therefore brought in efficiency in different micro financial institutions in terms of speed, data processing and storage. Thus, it brought in enormous improvement in queuing in institutions in use of the ATMs. Despite all the merits of ATMs, customers still bring up complains on the demerits of the system such as; breakdown of ATMs, long queues at the ATM service point, retention of customers cards. In this light, this research entails to find out why all these cries after all the goods incurred in the system. 1.1 Background of the study. 1.1.1 Historical background. The history of micro financial institutions can be trace as far back as the 1880s when the theorist Lysander Spooner was writing over the benefits of from small credits to entrepreneurs and farmers as a way of getting people out of poverty. Today, the use of the expression ‘’micro financing’’ has its root in the 1970s when organisatons were sarting and shaping the modern industry.At that time,many microfinance ini tiatives introduced many new innovations into the sector.Many entreprises began experimenting with loaning to the under served people. The main reason why micro financing is been traced back to the 1970s is that, the programme could show that people can be relied on to pay their loans and that it’s possible to provide financing services to poor people through market based enterprises without subsidies.

Mexico in South Phoenix :: Arizona Mexican Culture Essays Papers

Mexico in South Phoenix â€Å"It’s like going to Mexico without ever leaving Phoenix.† This was a quote by Mr. Virgil, the Manager of the Ranch Market. A tour of the Ranch Market showed his statement to be true, hence the title of this paper. The following will discuss the Ranch Market and Mexico in South Phoenix. To begin, the tour was absolutely intriguing. The class was introduced to Mr. Virgil. Then we proceeded to get a really in-depth insight into what was up with the Ranch Market. While the Ranch Market is really just another store to purchase canned food, fruit, personal hygiene products, and even a meat department, the real attraction is the food service department. The class and I learned about the revenue intake of the entire Ranch Market; and as things go, the food service department accounted for over 40% of the income. I thought the food was awesome, as did the several hundred patrons. The food service department consists of several components. The most prosperous of the components is the Mexican food deli, followed only shortly by the bakery. The Mexican food that is prepared right in front of you consists of tacos, burritos, tostadas, quesadillas, nachos, and about any other type of Mexican food one could think of. The bakery is awesome. The prices are very appealing to the frugal, but the availability of all types of bread (donuts, to loafs, to cakes and pies) is appealing to basically everyone. However, the whole Ranch Market seemed to be focused on appealing to the Mexican culture. This type of environment reminded me of a reading that was assigned; it was titled American Apartheid, Segregation and the Making of the Underclass. This reading addressed the segregated society. A few sentences really interested me, such as â€Å"†¦extreme racial segregation did not just happen; it was manufactured by whites through a series of self-conscious actions and purposeful institutional arrangements that continue today.† This reminded me of how South Phoenix has been shunned by the Valley of the Sun and a haven for illegal immigrants who do not speak English. Another reference from American Apartheid is â€Å"Although poor black neighborhoods still contain many people who lead conventional, productive lives, their example has been overshadowed in recent years by a growing concentration of poor, welfare-dependent families that is an inevitable result of residential segregation.

Super Project

The Super Project Case Study FIN 3717 Braden Eddy, Lauren Gear and Dakota Conravey The Super Project Case Study FIN 3717 Braden Eddy, Lauren Gear and Dakota Conravey Statement of Facts General Foods is a large corporation organized by product lines. They are evaluating Super Project, the manufacture of a new powdered dessert. Crosby Sanberg, a financial analysis manager, must determine the value in accepting the proposal, along with J. C. Kresslin, the Corporate Controller. The Super Project will increase profit with a payback period of less than ten years.The proposed capital investment for the project is $200,000 ($80,000 for building modifications and $120,000 for machinery and equipment) and production would take place in an already existing building in which Jell-O is manufactured using the available capacity of a pre-existing Jell-O agglomerator. Sandberg has analyzed the different investment proposals based on three different capital allocation techniques. The three different cash flow evaluation alternatives (Incremental, Facilities-Used, and Fully Allocated) differ in the way that the cost of existing facilities and future increases in overhead are allocated.The acceptance or rejection of the project relies on the project’s costs. As Sanberg looks to compare Super Project with current profit criteria, recent discussion has brought about what the proper evaluation technique is for their cash flows; specifically, in concern to the relevancy of sunk costs. The problem for General Foods is to decide what the best method for evaluating the Super Project was since each method produced drastically different returns. Issues General Foods has quite a few factors to consider when determining relevant cash flows in their analysis of the project.Multiple factors for consideration are whether or not to account for test market expense, the allocation of overhead expense, the allocation of charges for agglomerator and capacity use, and erosion of Jell-O sales. Under the analysis of an incremental basis, management included the incremental fixed capital of $200,000, which included packaging equipment. Sanberg also advocates that Super should be charged with the â€Å"opportunity loss† of agglomerating capacity and building space that could be used for future production of Jell-O or other products.Management also analyzed the project based on the amount of facilities-used. Recognizing that Super will use half of an exisiting agglomerator and two thirds of an existing building, Sanberg added Super’s pro rata shares of these facilities to the incremental capital. Overhead costs directly related to these existing facilities were also subtracted from incremental revenue on a shared basis. Sanberg felt this analysis was a useful was of putting various projects on a common ground for purposes of relative evaluation.Lastly, management included a fully allocated basis of the project in their projections. They recognized that individu al decisions to expand inevitably add to a higher overhead base and therefore an increase to the costs and investment base were added. Overhead expenses included manufacturing costs plus selling and general and administrative costs on a per unit basis equivalent to Jell-O. Overhead capital also included a share of the distribution system assets. AnalysisUpon review of management’s case, we broke down the relevant cash flows separately according to test-market expenses, overhead expenses, erosion of Jell-O contribution margin and allocation of charges for the use of excess agglomerator capacity. The four capital budgeting techniques appropriate for review are NPV, IRR, ARR and payback period. The accounting for test-market expense yielded the following results: Exhibit 1| Net Present Value| $671. 98 | Internal Rate of Return| 24. 73%| Average Rate of Return| 216. 34%| Payback Period. | 5. 4 years| The accounting for overhead expense yielded the following results: Exhibit 2| Ne t Present Value| $704. 30| Internal Rate of Return| 28. 83%| Average Rate of Return| 207. 70%| Payback Period. | 4. 55 years| The accounting for erosion of Jell-O sales yielded the following results: Exhibit 3| Net Present Value| $182. 33| Internal Rate of Return| 14. 63%| Average Rate of Return| 125. 62%| Payback Period. | 6. 39 years| The accounting for including the excess capacity expense yields the following results: Exhibit 4| Net Present Value| $375. 5| Internal Rate of Return| 16. 11%| Average Rate of Return| 71. 55%| Payback Period. | 5. 80 years| After review of the independent costs, we found that each one produces a positive NPV, an IRR above the discount rate and a payback period within the required ten years. However, it is unrealistic to consider these on an independent basis. For our realistic case, we included overhead expenses and the excess cost of capacity for the agglomerator. We did not include the erosion of Jell-O sales and the test market expense, as this is a sunk cost.Under these circumstances we produced the following results: Exhibit 6| Net Present Value| $350. 32| Internal Rate of Return| 15. 98%| Average Rate of Return| 58. 91%| Payback Period. | 5. 74 years| In this analysis, we included the overhead expense for 1972-1977 because as the project begins to gain a foothold in the market it will acquire a larger market share and will become a larger portion of General Foods’ overall dessert sales. Also, the agglomerator and excess capacity was charged as an incremental investment, which brought the initial investment to $653,000.Since 70% of the initial $200,000 was depreciated over the 10-year period, we applied the straight-line depreciation method to compute 70% of $453,000 that added an extra $32,000 of depreciation to each year. We did not include the erosion of Jell-O sales because an external competitor could easily acquire the 20% of market share currently held by Jell-O in the future. This would take away profit that would hinder Jell-O regardless of whether it is internal or external. Since we also believe this a mature market, it is a cost that seems to be irrelevant in this analysis.We did not include the test market expense as well since this was a sunk cost. It did not seem logical to include, because it was almost double the value of the initial investment of $200,000 and roughly half of our adjusted initial investment of $653,000. Since General Foods has a limited amount of product lines in the dessert market, the test market expense should not be accounted for. Conclusion Under our assumptions, we conclude that General Foods should accept the project due to its positive NPV, IRR above discount rate and the attractive payback period within six years (exhibit 6).When compared to Crosby Sanberg’s view (exhibit 5), which resulted in a negative NPV of -$575. 32, IRR of . 28% and a payback period of just about 10 years, our assumptions lead to a more accurate portrayal of the Super Pro ject. Although we do recommend that General Foods take on the Project, they must be cognizant of increasing test expenses and the initial impact that the addition of Super will have on Jell-O sales. The benefits will be an increase in overall sales for the company, and the chance for General Foods to become a leading producer in the dessert market.

Moving to Another Country Essay

Tradition is existing knowledge. A tradition is a group of related ideas that have lasted for a long time. In some cases people have spent that time trying to improve the ideas. We’ll call that a dynamic tradition because it changes over time. In other cases, the focus has been on keeping the tradition exactly the same over time. We’ll call that a static tradition because it does not change. Although these approaches are contradictory, some traditions are mixed. Dynamic traditions are important because they contain some of our best knowledge. Today, they contain only the best ideas any participants have thought of in the whole history of the tradition. I don’t mean they are perfect, but if they missed a good idea, it was despite people’s efforts, not intentional. They do a pretty good job of gathering the best ideas, and keeping those around, and discarding ideas that are discovered to be mistaken. The reason dynamic traditions are especially valuable is the sheer amount of thought, criticism and error correction that has gone into them from many people. Just because traditions contain valuable knowledge doesn’t mean they are always right. Sometimes they aren’t. I shouldn’t defer to traditions just because a lot of smart people didn’t see any way to improve them further. I should defer if I don’t see any way to improve them further. If I make up a new idea, and I don’t see any way to improve it further (in 20 minutes of thought), then it’s not particularly reliable. I could easily have missed something. With a tradition, perhaps thousands of people put in twenty minutes of thought, and some others put in years, so even if I don’t see any way to improve things, and even if I don’t know much about the subject, it has an advantage over just making something up myself. All the knowledge in traditions can be intimidating . And no one has time to carefully and critically go through all the details of all the traditional knowledge they use. That’s OK. But one should bear in mind two things. First, if something goes wrong — if there seems to be a problem — then relying on tradition isn’t good enough. It’s not working, and you’ll need to tweak something or find another tradition. And second, a thoughtful person should critically evaluate some traditions. It’s your choice which, but everyone ought to be good at something and have the experience of trying to improve some knowledge. Everyone should put some serious thought into some area. There isn’t much point to life if I don’t seriously think about some parts of it. In the case of a disagreement, an  appeal to tradition is invalid. The tradition might be wrong and someone thinks it is. To address that disagreement, I have to consider their criticism of the tradition, any alternative ideas they have, and any arguments in favor of the traditional idea, and then try to work out what is true. Traditions containing people’s best ideas of the past won’t always be the best ideas anyone thinks of in the future. The biggest value of traditions is they can often give useful ideas that are not controversial, or starting points which partially solve problems. In a disagreement, although we can’t say, â€Å"This is true because a lot of smart people didn’t see anything wrong with it, and who are you to say they missed something?† the fact that something is a tradition is not irrelevant either. Dynamic traditions have, over the years, faced a lot of criticism. They often already include explanations of why common criticisms of the tradition are mistaken. Major traditions have existing literature that provides arguments and ideas on the subject. This literature can answer many disagreements, which are often made in ignorance. When we find something wrong with a tradition, if at all possible we should improve the tradition, not abandon it. We should seek a way to modify the tradition but also retain existing knowledge. To keep the most existing knowledge, our change should be as small as possible to solve the problem. If we were to start over from scratch, we may avoid the flaw we found, but we’re not perfect and our new ideas will contain other flaws. And new ideas won’t have the benefit of decades or centuries of people trying to find and correct flaws. We should consequently be respectful of tradition even as we find errors in it, and try to improve it with new ideas of our own. Static traditions are different. Although they’ve been around a long time, no one has been trying to find mistakes in them, so they aren’t very useful. Nor are they innocuous. Consider: why does the static tradition still exist? Why didn’t it disappear after its original advocates died? With a dynamic tradition, it’s passed on to the next generation because people find it useful, and teach it. A static tradition, too, must have some mechanism for being passed on. But it canâ€⠄¢t be that people voluntarily learn it due to its usefulness. Because it never changes, and never corrects errors, it’s not very useful. Instead, people must in some way be tricked or fooled into it, or indoctrinated, or forced, or brainwashed. Often they are pressured, and made  to feel bad, sinful or guilty if they do not follow the tradition. But controlling people’s emotions is difficult. Because people are creative and will try to defend themselves, it takes a lot of knowledge to reliably control or manipulate them. Where does that knowledge come from? Static traditions are not actually entirely static. The main ideas, doctrine or dogma is kept constant. But the way of passing it on changes. The more people try to preserve the tradition unchanged, and make sure it will last forever, the more creativity they put into mechanisms for transmitting the tradition to the next generation. All traditions face a selection effect. For a tradition to last, it has to be passed on from older people to younger people. But only so many ideas can be taught to the next generation. Children are only in school, and in their parents’ home, for so many years. The amount of ideas is large, but it’s limited. Only a certain amount of tradition can fit. Only the ones that are better at being passed on will make the cutoff. D ynamic traditions compete by being as useful as possible. Thus the selection effect pushes them to be better and better. They try to be true, and people like the truest ones so much that they teach them to children. Static traditions compete differently. They can’t compete with good ideas directly, so they use other approaches such as manipulating or controlling people. In short, in some way they disable the person’s creativity so he doesn’t realize the tradition is low on useful truth content, and doesn’t think of alternative ideas against which a static tradition can’t compete. The selection effect for static traditions makes them worse, not better. Any static tradition that fails to create a permanent blind spot in the person runs a serious risk that one day he’ll realize it’s not a great tradition and doesn’t have a lot of useful knowledge. And if he realizes that, whether he ever changes his mind or improves himself, what he won’t want to do is teach it to his kids. There will never come a time when his children have some problem or qu estion, and he thinks if he teaches them this tradition it will help them, since he knows it is not useful. Traditions are important because they contain our best knowledge collected over the years. But they can also be dangerous. Static traditions that induce blind spots in people and are useless at everything except getting themselves taught to children. It is up to us to consider which traditions are which.